Bad Timing
"Bad Timing" is the fourth episode of Miami Vice's fifth season. The episode premiered on December 2, 1988. Summary Crockett's therapeutic time off to recover from his recent ordeal is cut short by two murderous escaped cons. It is the sixth and final episode of the Sonny Burnett Arc. Plot Metro-Dade HQ interviews IAD Officer Walter Mills, Tubbs, Castillo, and a neurosurgeon regarding Crockett's actions in the [[Jimmy Hagovitch|Hagovitch, Carrera, and Manolo murders. While Mills expressed his feelings Crockett's memory lapse was "convenient", Tubbs & Castillo confirmed their support for Crockett (especially since he returned to OCB on his own accord and took down the cartels), and the neurosurgeon confirms Crockett's amnesia is consistent with the head injury he suffered. In light of these developments, no action will be taken until Crockett completes a departmentally mandated furlough and see a psychiatrist. Crockett can't believe that he could have done those things and wonders what kind of person he is. At Florida State Prison, a riot occurs during a rock concert, and during it two men, Wilson (Gary Farmer) & Cruz (Pruitt Taylor Vince) are smuggled out inside cases, and the man who got them out paid for it with his life, as they shoot him down after he gives the escapees guns, then they escapees stop by Scotty's (William O'Leary) house, their partner in crime, to get some drinks and a "treasure map", tie up Scotty's wife Miriam with her boom box speakers and leave. Crockett goes to see the psychiatrist (Stephanie Roth) and talks about his undercover life, about how he was more comfortable undercover before, but now is scared, and he feels his friends (including Tubbs) think he could become Burnett again, and is expressing a lot of self-doubt. She feels his friends will come around, but he needs a vacation to help recover. Crockett gets on a motorcycle and heads on the road. Cruz & Wilson try to rob a gas station, when the attendant talks about their bulletproof glass Wilson takes a customer's gas can, throws it on the stand and threatens to light it, the attendant gives them all the money, but Cruz puts the stand to the torch. Crockett (now having flashbacks to his Burnett persona) is still on the road, while Cruz & Wilson are still wreaking havoc and looking for "Doc Jerry", they tie up a real estate agent looking at his old house and steal her car. Crockett stops at a bar and meets Kathleen Gilfords (Melissa Leo) and she & Crockett get acquainted, and walk through town. Cruz & Wilson hit a liquor store while Jimmy is being arrested for noise pollution. Suddenly Kathleen is taken hostage, they kill one of the policemen and wound another, then Crockett takes off in another man's car after them. Crockett chases them into the woods, but Wilson shoots out a tire and Crockett runs into a tree, injuring himself. Crockett commandeers a Jeep and goes back after them. Castillo & the team reach the scene, they find that Cruz & Wilson were involved in a million-dollar armored car robbery (which is why they were in jail), and they are heading back for the money (as it was never recovered). The escapees arrive at a cabin at Pine Key where "Doc Jerry" lived and find nothing but guns. Cruz makes a menacing move toward Kathleen, Jimmy stops him and Cruz breaks his nose. Crockett finds the abandoned Mercedes and arrives at the cabin, where he sees Cruz trying to assault Kathleen when Doc Jerry stops him, which causes the others to come out and they take Crockett hostage too. Crockett is tied up while Cruz takes pot shots at him. When Kathleen reveals Crockett is a cop, Cruz wants to kill him but Wilson stops him, saying they need a hostage. They leave Scotty with Crockett while the others go with Doc Jerry to find the money. While Tubbs searches for Crockett, he starts working on Scotty, telling him that his "buddies" won't come back for him, or they will kill him so they won't have to share any of the money, and what Florida does to cop-killers (with a detailed description of the electric chair). Scotty cuts Crockett down, then he knocks Scotty out and continues his pursuit. Doc Jerry takes them out into the woods but tells him there's no money, that he invested it in the stock market and when it crashed he lost it all, took out a gun and prepared to shoot Cruz but the gun was empty, so Cruz kills Doc Jerry, Scotty's boom box starts playing so Wilson goes looking for it, only to find Crockett instead, who hits him with it, and a fight ensues, Crockett gains the advantage and holds Wilson underwater until he drowns. Then Cruz tries again to rape Kathleen when Crockett arrives with a gun and pistol-whips Cruz, then Cruz throws sand in his face and another fight ensues, Kathleen distracts Cruz until Crockett can gain the upper hand and beats Cruz down, then Wilson (who faked drowning) returns to shoot them both, but Tubbs kills Wilson, and Crockett & Kathleen enjoy a quiet dance together at the bar. Cast *Don Johnson as Metro-Dade Detective James "Sonny" Crockett *Philip Michael Thomas as Metro-Dade Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs *Saundra Santiago as Metro-Dade Detective Gina Calabrese *Michael Talbott as Metro-Dade Detective Stan Switek *Olivia Brown as Metro-Dade Detective Trudy Joplin *Edward James Olmos as Metro-Dade Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo Guest Stars *Melissa Leo as Kathleen Gilfords *William O'Leary as Jimmy *Pruitt Taylor Vance as Cruz *Gary Farmer as Wilson *Stephanie Roth as Psychiatrist Co-Starring *John Archie as IAD Officer Walter Mills *Ted Bartsch as Fredrickson *Tim Bice as Yupster *Lori Creevay as Miriam *Joy Ellen Johnson as Thelma *Robert LaGamba as Richards *Marc Macaulay as Doc Jerry *Robert MacBeth as Fisherman *Greg Paul Meyers as Johnny *Rita Rehn as Sylvia Notes *Tubbs' beard is gone in this episode, though in the next episode, "Borrasca", it reappears, only for him to shave it off again midway through the episode. This continuity error is probably because the studio changed the running order of the episodes when they broadcast them. The same thing happened more noticeably with season 3's "El Viejo", when the Ferrari Daytona reappeared, despite being blown up in the season's opening episode. *Jermaine Stewart provides Miami Vice's final live performance of a song, though it was cut short by the prison riot. *This is technically the final episode of the Crockett/Burnett Saga because it deals in part with the effects Crockett's time as Burnett has on him. IAD Officer Mills, who has butted heads with Crockett in the past, returns to offer hostile testimony against Crockett. Music *"Don't Talk Dirty To Me" by Jermaine Stewart (sung live at prison) *"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams (on jukebox) Quotes *"One helluva vacation!" -- Tubbs talking about Crockett's bad luck vacation *"You ever smell hair burning, Scotty?" -- Crockett after describing the electric chair experience Category:Miami Vice Season 5 Episodes